The Fantastic Tales of Mollandra Montgomery
by MCR Lurver
Summary: Mollandra Montgomery never dreamed that she would actually make it into Hogwarts, actually have friends, or actually fall in love. Follow Mollandra as makes new friends, and gets into some adventure of her own.
1. The Plane Ride

**Author's Notes: Yay, a new story! I know that I should be finishing my other ones, but I had this idea back in April, and it's taken me this long to develop it, so I thought that it deserved to be written. Again, I can't guarantee when updates will occur, but I'll try my best to write some more soon.**

**Chapter 1: **

Mollandra Montgomery stared out of the plane window. She smiled to herself as she watched the carts laden with luggage. They reminded her of giant misshapen caterpillars.

"You alright there, Mol?" her dad asked as he plunked down into the seat next to her.

"Yeah," Mollandra said.

"'Course you are," her dad said with a smile as he ruffled her hair. He paused. "I'm really sorry about the plane," he said sheepishly.

"It's o.k., Dad," Mollandra said. "It's not your fault that you're a Muggle, is it?" She laughed. She knew how important her schooling was to her father, and she knew how much he wanted to see her off. So she agreed, although a bit grudgingly, to make the trip to England with him by plane, as apposed to the much faster way of Floo Powder.

Take off went smoothly, and they had not been in the air very long before her father was asleep. Mollandra fiddled with her iPOD and cell phone for a while, knowing that she would have to leave them at her aunt Karen's house in a few days time.

After she became bored with these devices, she pulled out her letter, just to read it, for what was probably the hundredth time since she had received it.

Dear Miss Montgomery,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

_Deputy Headmistress _

Mollandra clutched the letter and the supply list tightly in her hands, afraid that she might lose them. She thought about how much trouble her mother had gone through to get her into Hogwarts in the first place, insisting that American school were not as good. Her mother was English and her father American, but also a Muggle, so Dumbledore had agreed to let Mollandra attend, after a very long correspondence with her mother, as well as her aunt, who still lived in England.

She then tucked the pieces of parchment into her jeans pocket, settled back in her seat, and closed her eyes to get some sleep.

111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

"Mol? Mol?" Somebody was shaking her. Mollandra opened her eyes to see her father leaning over her. "We've landed," he said.

"Oh," Mollandra said, unbuckling her seatbelt, and standing to stretch. She then grabbed her bag, and waited until it was her turn to shuffle out into the aisle, and out of the plane.

After a short wait, Mollandra and her father had all of their luggage, and they set out of the airport in their rented car.

Mollandra's aunt and uncle lived on the outskirts of London in a townhouse. They had two daughters, Gwendolyn and Harper, who were older than Mollandra and her younger sister Eloise.

After a while of driving, and a few wrong turns, they finally reached the house. No sooner had they parked the car than the front door burst open, and her family came spilling onto the sidewalk. Her aunt made a beeline for her, while her uncle headed over to her dad to shake hands.

"Molly!" Karen said cheerfully, giving her niece a big hug. "It's so good to see you! Oh, how was the plane ride? It must have been so exciting!"

Mollandra chuckled at this. Her aunt and uncle, both from pure blood wizarding families, knew almost nothing of the Muggle world.

"Yeah, it was o.k.," Mollandra offered. "I slept through most of it, though."

"Well, come inside, then," her uncle George said. "No use in having us all stand about the sidewalk."

Once they had brought everything inside, the six moved into the family room to have tea. "How are Emily and Ellie, Jim?" Karen asked.

"Good," Jim said. "Ellie pitched a right little fit when I told her that she couldn't come to London with us, didn't she, Mol?" Mollandra smiled at her dad and nodded.

"So, are you excited about school, Mollandra?" George asked.

"Yeah, I am," Mollandra said, beaming.

"It's great," Gwen said, "you'll love it." Harper nodded in agreement to her sister's comments.

"What house do you reckon you'll be in?" George asked.

"Oh, I hope you're in Ravenclaw, with us," Harper said.

"No, she'd better be in Hufflepuff," George said with a grin. "'Fraid I'm outnumbered 'round here."

"How 'bout Gryffindor?" Karen offered. Mollandra shrugged. "Well, just as long as you're not in Slytherin," she continued. "Don't know what we'd do with you then." Everyone laughed at this, with the exception of Mollandra's father, who merely sat there with a slight grin on his face. Mollandra knew that he was confused.

111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

Hours later, Mollandra lay awake on the sleeper-sofa, unable to sleep for excitement. She was here in London – she was actually going to Hogwarts. And tomorrow, she'd be going to Diagon Alley – the famed marketplace of which she'd only heard stories of, but now, for the first time in her life, she would be able to see.

Finally, when she did fall asleep, she dreamt of owls and wands, and of all the stories that her mother and aunt had told her about Hogwarts.


	2. Diagon Alley

**Author's Notes: An update!!!! This is: good for you – you get an update. This is also: bad for me – I have a concussion (this is why this chapter was written, seeing as I'm going to be out from soccer for another week). Anyway, hope you enjoy, more possibly coming sometime soon.**

**Chapter 2:**

"Is everyone ready?" Karen called up the stairs. In a matter of seconds, the rest of her family plus Mollandra came thundering down the stairs. They were about to leave for Diagon Alley. "Right, then," Karen said as the troops assembled in front of her. "We're going to Apparate to the Leaky Cauldron. Mollandra, come take my hand, and, Harper and Gwen, take your father's."

Mollandra felt like an icy boulder had dropped into the pit of her stomach. She had never Apparated before.

She saddled up to her aunt, who gave her a reassuring smile. "It'll be a little uncomfortable," Karen said, "but you'll get used to it in time." Mollandra nodded, silently wondering what her aunt's definition of 'uncomfortable' really was. "Hold on tight, now," Karen said.

Mollandra squeezed her hand around Karen's just as they started to turn on the spot. Without warning, Mollandra felt like she had been sucked into an air-tight vacuum. She opened her mouth to breathe, but couldn't.

And then, as suddenly as it had happened, it was over. Mollandra felt her feet make contact with solid ground again.

"So, what'd you think?" Harper asked with a slight grin on her face.

"_Uncomfortable_?" Mollandra spluttered, rounding on her aunt. "You didn't say anything about not being able to breathe!"

"You'll get used to it," Karen chuckled. "Anyway, we'd better get a move on; we've got lots to buy today."

The five of them turned and walked into the Leaky Cauldron. Mollandra looked around in awe. She saw Witches and Wizards wearing robes of every color, some with funny hats, or odd looking creatures perched on their shoulders.

Mollandra followed her family out behind the bar, where there was nothing more than a small yard with a couple of trashcans and a brick wall. Her uncle stepped forward and tapped the wall, and the bricks started to spin and move out of the way, creating a passageway. When she stepped through, Mollandra saw a winding cobblestone street packed with people even more colorful than she had seen in the pub.

"I think we should head over to Madam Malkin's first," Karen said.

"Mum, can I get new robes this year?" Harper asked as they stared down the street.

"What's wrong with Gwen's old ones?" George asked.

"She's taller than I am, and they don't fit at all," Harper wined.

"All right, all right," Karen said. "You can go to get fitted with Mollandra."

*****

Several exhausting hours later, Mollandra sat on the sleeper-sofa with all of her new purchases spread out around her. She had black robes, dragon hide gloves, a cauldron, a telescope, a sat of brass scales, and all of her books needed for her first year. But her favorite purchase of the day was her wand. It was eleven inches, holly, with a unicorn hair core.

Mollandra had had a very good day. It had been filled with stories from Harper and Gwen, covering everything from famous Witches and Wizards to magical potions to Hogwarts secrets.

Suddenly, there came a knock from the archway into the room. Mollandra looked up to see her dad poking his head around the corner. "Can I come in?" he said.

Mollandra nodded her head and cleared a spot on the bed for him to sit.

He picked up a book and looked at it. "Now, I know your mother's told me a hundred times, but, what is Transfiguration?"

Mollandra smiled weakly at her dad. "It's when you take something and turn it into something else," she said calmly. "Like, if I take a soda can and turn it into a rat."

Her dad nodded. "Are you excited for tomorrow?" her dad asked. "I mean, it's not everyday that you get to go to Wizard school, is it?"

Mollandra beamed. "Yep."

Her dad smiled back. "Well, goodnight, kiddo," he said, ruffling her hair, and standing up. "Get a good night's sleep."

"Night, dad," she said as he turned and left the room.

Mollandra carefully packed her belongings into her new trunk on top of her clothes, then climbed into bed, and fell asleep.


	3. On the Hogwarts Express

Author's Notes: Egads! An update! Sorry it's been so long between posts. Time: I does not have it. Anyway, you should feel special, because I'm spending my time typing this up instead of writing my English essay like I should be, or learning how to dance Kelly Osbourne and Louis van Amstel's Week 1 Waltz like I should be for gym class tomorrow. Yes, go ahead and say it: GEEK! So please enjoy.

"Are you sure you've packed everything?" Mollandra's father asked.

"Yes," Mollandra said a little testily, for what must have been the fourth time this morning.

"You've got your robes and your books and your… er, pot?"

"My _cauldron_?" Mollandra laughed. Her father shrugged. "Dad, I have everything," Mollandra reassured him.

"Almost ready to go, Mol?" Karen called from the front room.

"Yep," Mollandra called back.

Her dad bent down to pick up her trunk, grunting as he did so. "Okay, now I believe you," he said. "This thing must weigh 100 pounds."

Mollandra followed her father into the front room, where everyone else was already waiting. "Oh, I'll get that your you, Jim," George said, seeing Mollandra's father struggling with her trunk. With a flick of his wand, George levitated the trunk right out of his hands.

"Oh!" Mollandra's father said in surprise. "Um, thanks."

"Not a problem," George smiled. "We best get going," he said, checking his watch. "It's near on 10:15." He flicked his want again, and Mollandra watched her trunk zoom out of the door and pack itself nearly into the rental car that was parked out front.

The six of them then proceeded to head outside and cram themselves into the car as well. Mollandra's family was fascinated by the car; they'd never been in one before.

The ride to the station was tense and a little terrifying, because George kept pushing buttons and trying to grab the wheel from Mollandra's father. Karen, Gwen, and Harper on the other hand were content to just sit and admire the city around them.

Finally, they reached King's Cross Station. George unloaded the trunks and packed them onto trolleys for the girls while Karen went over a quick check list with Harper and Gwen.

"Well, good luck, kiddo," Mollandra's father said with a smile.  
Don't forget to call – erhm, I mean, write."

Mollandra smiled. "Bye, Dad," she said, hugging him. "I'll write you and Mom and Ellie as soon as I can."

Mollandra's father said a quick goodbye to Karen, George, and the girls, then got back in the rental car, and headed to the airport to catch his flight back to America. The remaining 5 headed into the station.

Mollandra was starting to feel sick to her stomach, which she attributed to nerves. She was excited to be going to Hogwarts, but at the same time, was sad to be leaving her family.

After a short walk, they reached the spot between platforms 9 and 10. "Well, here we are," Karen said. "Do you know what to do, Mollandra?" Mollandra shook her head. "Alright, Gwen, why don't you go first and show her how it's done."

Gwen flashed Mollandra a quick smile, then broke into a jog with her trolley. In the next second she had vanished into the barrier that separated the two platforms.

"Harper, you next," Karen sad, and Harper did the exact same thing.

"You ready?" Karen asked. Mollandra nodded, her jaw clenched tight, unable to speak from nerves. "I'll be right behind you," Karen said reassuringly.

After a second's pause, Mollandra started forward, picking up speed with each step, and staring straight ahead at the barrier, which was getting closer by the second. She closed her eyes out of instinct, and braced for the collision that never came.

When her brain finally registered that she has in fact not run headlong into a solid brick wall, Mollandra opened her eyes, and found herself on a bustling platform full of parents and students alike, some already wearing their school robes.

Mollandra started when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see her aunt smiling at her. "Let's go load your trunk on, shall we?" Karen said. Mollandra followed her over to the train, and together they lifted her heavy trunk through one of the doors.

"Bye, Molly," Karen said as Mollandra hopped up after her trunk. "Please write. And if you ever need anything, just remember that you can always go to Gwen and Harper."

Mollandra waved goodbye to her aunt, then turned, and began dragging her trunk along the corridor. She passed several full compartments before she found an empty one. She packed her trunk away, and settled down into one of the window seats.

No sooner had she sat down then the compartment door opened, and a boy stuck his head in. "Excuse me," he said, "can I sit here?"

Mollandra smiled. "Sure," she said.

The boy's face lit up. "I've been looking for a compartment everywhere," he said as he wrestled his trunk inside. "But they're all full."

Mollandra helped him load his trunk onto the luggage rack, and then they settled back in, the boy taking the seat across from her. "I'm Neville, by the way," he said. "And this is my toad, Trevor. He pulled a toad out of his robe pocket and shoved the slimy creature at Mollandra.

"I'm Mollandra," she said.

"Hey, what's wrong with you accent?" Neville said, a puzzled look on his face.

"There's nothing wrong with it," Mollandra said, frowning at Neville in confusion. "I'm American, if that's what you mean."

"Then what are you doing here?" he said bluntly.

"The same thing you are," Mollandra laughed. When she saw that Neville was still confused, she launched into the explanation, "You see, my mom's British and my dad's American. But my mom wanted me to have a good education, so she sent me here. I understand that Hogwarts far outranks any American Wizarding school."

"Where abouts in America do you live?" Neville asked.

"We used to live in Salem, Massachusetts," Mollandra said. "My parents have a sense of humor." Neville laughed. "But now we live in Annapolis, Maryland," Mollandra continued. "My dad sells sailboats there."

Just then the compartment door slid open again. A blonde boy popped his head in. "'Scuse me," he said, "do you mind if I sit in here?"

"Not at all," Mollandra smiled.

The boy dragged his trunk in and threw it up on the rack, then plunked himself down in the seat next to Mollandra. "Name's Andrew," he said with a small smile. Mollandra and Neville introduced themselves.

"The train's really packed," Andrew said. "My brother Tony says he's never seen it this bad before. Do you lot have any older siblings here?" he asked.

"No, I'm on only child," Neville said. "That's why my gran got me Trevor." He looked around. "Where is Trevor?"

"I've got a younger sister, Ellie," Mollandra said. "But my two older cousins are here."

"What House are they in?" Andrew asked.

But before Mollandra could answer, the door opened for a third time, and a girl with bushy brown hair, a few shades lighter than Mollandra's, strode in.

"This is the least full compartment I've seen," she said, looking from Mollandra to Andrew to Neville. "Would you mind if I sat in here?"

"Uh, okay," Neville said. He stood up and helped the girl load her trunk onto the rack, and then sat back down, with the girl taking the seat next to Neville.

"My name is Hermione Granger," the girl said.

The boys introduced themselves, and the Mollandra did. "You're American," Hermione said.

"Yes, thank you, I know," Mollandra said coolly. Neville snickered. Hermione had not been in the compartment for five minutes, and already Mollandra could tell that they weren't going to get a long.

"Anyway, Mollandra, back to our conversation before," Andrew said, throwing an annoyed glance Hermione's way, "what House are your cousins in?"

"Oh, we're talking about sorting, are we?" Hermione said loudly. "Oh, I hope I'm in Ravenclaw. They're the wisest, you know. And I don't suppose Gryffindor would be that bad either. They're – "

"Gwendolyn and Harper are in Ravenclaw," Mollandra said over Hermione's rambling.

"Do you suppose you'll be in there with them, then?" Hermione said a little testily. Obviously, she did not appreciate being talked over.

"I don't know," Mollandra said. "I have no idea where I'll be."

"I think I'm going to be in Hufflepuff," Neville offered. "I don't think I'm brave enough to be in Gryffindor, and I'm certainly not smart enough to be in Ravenclaw, and I really don't think I'm bad enough to be in Slytherin."

"Tony's in Gryffindor," Andrew said, "but I don't know if I'm going to be; we're not very much alike."

Just then the train lurched forward, and started to crawl out of the station. Mollandra looked out of the window to see a sea of hands coming out of the other windows, all waving goodbye to relatives come to see them off.

"Oh, there's my gran!" Neville said excitedly. He opened the window and stuck his head out. "Bye, Gran!" An elderly woman clutching a purse smiled and waved back at Neville until the train was out of sight.

*****

"Has anyone seen Trevor?" Neville asked about an hour into the journey.

They all looked around the compartment, under seats, in bags, on top of the luggage rack, and inside robe pockets.

"Well, he must have wandered off, then," Hermione said matter-of-factly.

"Trevor…" Neville moaned.

"We'll just have to go look for him," Hermione said. "Come on." She grabbed Neville's hand and dragged him out of the compartment.

"What a nightmare," Andrew said as the compartment door clicked shut.

"I've never met any one more obnoxious in my life," Mollandra said. "And I live in _America_."

"But really," Andrew said, his tone becoming more serious, "what House d'you reckon you'll be in? I mean, Tony and my mum were in Gryffindor, but I don't think I'll be."

"Well, my cousins are in Ravenclaw, and so were my aunt and mom, and my uncle was in Hufflepuff, and my dad's a Muggle," Mollandra said. She paused. "What about your dad?"

"Um, well…" Andrew said, his face turning red. "He's, uh, not exactly around…"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Mollandra said, her face reddening. "I didn't – "

"So'kay," Andrew said quickly. "I never knew him. You see, he left before I was born. Tony was only a baby, so he doesn't remember him too well. And my mum never talks about him."

"I'm sorry," Mollandra said again.

She smiled at him, and then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a mass of brown on the seat closest to the door across from them. The mass was breathing.

"Trevor!" Mollandra said, leaping up and diving on top of the toad to keep him from escaping again. "Gottcha!"

"Nice catch," Andrew smiled. "Should we go find Neville and Hermione and tell them we've found Trevor?"

Mollandra glanced at the door, a smirk on her face. "Nah," she said. "We'll let them look a little longer."

*****

"Trevor!" Neville shouted as soon as he came back into the compartment. "Where've you been? You can't keep runnin' off like that."

Hermione shuffled into the compartment after Neville and slid the door shut behind her. "Guess who we've just seen," she said as she sat down.

Mollandra and Andrew stared blankly at her. "Harry Potter!" Neville said excitedly. "Well, I didn't actually see him, Hermione did."

"You have?" Andrew said in astonishment.

"Yes, just now," Hermione said, a smug smile plastered on her face. "He's in a compartment at the end of the train."

While the others talked on about Harry Potter, Mollandra rested her head against the cool glass of the window. She closed her eyes and felt the gentile swaying motion of the train beneath her as she nodded off to sleep.


	4. The Sorting Ceremony

**Author's Notes: Yay, another chapter! Sorry about the length of this one, too. But I felt that I had to put the Sorting into one chapter, instead of dragging it out over several. This is going to be one long story, so the less chapters I have to write, the better. Anyway, I'm sticking to some original dialogue in this chapter, which I DON'T OWN. It is the work of J.K. Rowling (obviously, because I'm not a genius like her. Lol.) Oh, and sorry if the end of the chapter fells kinda rushed, but I thought it was too long already, and including any more would feel like an overkill.**

**Chapter 4: **

"Mollandra… Hey, Mollandra…"

Someone was shaking her awake. She opened her eyes slowly to see Andrew standing over her. "You fell asleep," he said.

"No shit, Sherlock," Mollandra said, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

"We're almost there," Hermione said, giving Mollandra a nasty look, as if sleeping was something that she found repulsive, "you'd better change."

Mollandra stood up, unlatched her trunk, and pulled out her school robes. She pulled them on over her clothes, and turned around and glared at Hermione, daring her to make a disapproving comment.

*****

The four of them sat in nervous silence for several minutes, all pondering the same question: _What happens now?_

After a while, they could see the distant lights of the station up ahead. They all packed away any loose items back into their trunks. Neville stored Trevor in his pocket.

The train came to a slow stop a couple of minutes later. "Well, here we go," Andrew said quietly to Mollandra as he pulled open the compartment door.

Andrew, Mollandra, Neville, and Hermione shuffled out into the corridor of the train, and into the sea of black robe-clad students. Mollandra grabbed a handful of Andrew's robes so that they wouldn't get separated.

After about a minute of shuffling they made it outside into the crisp evening air.

"Fris' years!" a voice boomed out over the crowd. "Fris' years over here!"

As Mollandra continued forward, enormous shape that was Hagrid loomed over the crowd. Harper and Gwen had told her about Hagrid, but Mollandra was still amazed by his size.

"C'mon, follow me," Hagrid said, waving one of his huge hands in the direction of a pathway leading away from the station. "Any more 'fris years? Mind yer step, now! Fris' years follow me!"

Mollandra and Andrew joined the crowd of other first years following Hagrid down the path. It was a steep descent, and Mollandra nearly slipped a few times.

"Yeh'll get yer fris' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid said after about a minute of walking, "jus' round this bend here."

Hagrid wasn't lying. In a second's time, the looking silhouette of the Hogwarts castle came into view, with all of its windows lit up, sparkling in the dark night's sky, and reflecting on the large lake that lay in front of them now.

"No more'n four to a boat," Hagrid warned as the first years clambered into the small boats at the edge of the lake.

Mollandra and Andrew climbed into a boat, and they were followed in by two other girls. Mollandra smiled nervously at them. The redheaded girl smiled back.

"Everyone in?" Hagrid shouted from his own boat at the head of the fleet. "Right then – forward!"

With a lurch, the boats started forward, sailing across the glossy surface of the lake.

"Heads down!" Hagrid shouted as the boats reached the cliff on the other side of the lake. The first years ducked as they passed through a curtain of ivy, then through a tunnel, and finally into an underground harbor.

Once they had extricated themselves from the boats, the crowd of first years followed Hagrid up a passageway that led them onto the Hogwarts grounds. In a matter of minutes, they were crowded behind Hagrid on the huge stone steps that led up to the entrance of the castle, which was a gigantic oak door.

Hagrid knocked three times on the door, and it promptly swung open, revealing a witch in emerald green robes. "The fris' years, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid said.

"Thank you, Hagrid, I will take them from here," she said rather curtly. Hagrid turned and headed back the way he had come, while the first years followed McGonagall across the entrance hall of the castle, and into an empty chamber at the end of the hall. They were a little crunched for space, so Mollandra again held tight to Andrew's robes in order to stay together. It felt good to know that she already had a friend – she wouldn't have to face this new experience alone.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," McGonagall said. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarted yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

At this comment, Mollandra saw Hermione shoot her a smug look, as if somehow this comment had been directed at her. She left her wrinkled robes and messy hair just the way they were.

"I shall return when we are ready for you," McGonagall continued. "Please wait quietly." She turned and walked out of the chamber.

Even after the door had closed, the first years remained silent, all too frightened to talk. Then all of the sudden, people started screaming. Mollandra whipped around to see a handful of ghosts coming out of the back wall, talking amongst themselves, apparently oblivious to the hoard of first years standing there.

The one noticed them. "I say, what are you all doing here?" he asked. No one answered.

"New students!" another said excitedly. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"

"Move along now," barked a voice from behind them. Mollandra turned to see McGonagall standing in the doorway. "Now, form a line," she said, "and follow me."

The first years scrambled into a line as they had been instructed. Mollandra stood between Andrew and Neville. Andrew turned around and smiled nervously at Mollandra. She reached for his hand and squeezed it in reassurance.

McGonagall led them out of the chamber, back through the entrance hall, and to the double doors that led to the Great Hall. She threw the doors open and led the first years through.

Mollandra looked around as she walked. Thousands of candles floated above the four long tables in the hall, which Mollandra knew to be the house tables from Harper and Gwen.

McGonagall led them to the front of the hall, and they came to a stop in front of the teachers' table, so that they were facing the rest of the students. She then placed a stool in front of the first years, and then a hat on top of that: the Sorting Hat. The hat remained silent for a second or two, then broke into song:

_Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,_

_But don't judge on what you see,_

_I'll eat myself if you can find,_

_A smarter hat than me. _

_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your top hats sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head_

_The Sorting Hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you_

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_

_Where dwell the brave at heart,_

_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_

_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_

_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, _

_If you've a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning,_

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin,_

_You'll make your real friends,_

_Those cunning folk use any means_

_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And don't get in a flap!_

_You're safe in my hands (though I have none)_

_For I'm a Thinking Cap! _

When the song finished, the hall broke into applause.

"When I call your name," McGonagall said when the noise had died down, "you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be Sorted." She glanced at the roll and parchment in her hands. "Abbott, Hannah!"

A girl trotted forward and put on the hat. "Hufflepuff!" the hat shouted.

After a while, "Granger, Hermione!" was called.

Mollandra watched as Hermione eagerly put the hat on her head. "Gryffindor!" it shouted.

"Hedgecock, Allison!" was called soon after, and Mollandra watched the redhead who had shared her boat walk up and put the hat on.

"Hufflepuff!" it shouted.

Neville was called after a few more people. The hat took its time deciding, but finally called out, "Gryffindor!"

Several more names were called, and then all of the sudden, "Montgomery, Mollandra!"

Mollandra walked shakily towards the stool and put the Sorting Hat on her head. There were several moments of silence, then it shouted, "Gryffindor!"

Mollandra smiled, relieved that she had not been sorted into Slytherin. She placed the hat back on the stool, and walked over to the Gryffindor table, which was cheering loudly. She sat down at the table next to Neville, who smiled at her.

The Sorting Ceremony continued for a little while longer before, "Pierce, Andrew!" was called. Mollandra watched Andrew, who was looking very pale, walk up to the Sorting Hat and put it on.

The hat thought for several moments before it shouted, "Hufflepuff!" The next table over from Mollandra cheered.

Mollandra clapped politely with the rest of the hall. She was feeling a little disappointed that Andrew was not in the same house as she was.

*****

Several minutes later, the Sorting had concluded, and Dumbledore has spoken his piece. The tables were now filled with all kinds of food. Mollandra only ate a little – she was still feeling queasy from the Sorting. But mostly, she was just tired.

After desert had been finished, Dumbledore shooed the students off to bed. Mollandra and then other first years flocked around a Prefect named Percy, and he led them out of the hall and up the marble staircase.

They had a short run-in with Peeves the poltergeist, but they finally reached the entrance to Gryffindor Tower, which was behind the portrait of a fat lady in a pink dress. Percy said the password, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a passageway.

Once inside, Mollandra found herself in a circular common room with lots of plush chairs, a few tables, and a large fireplace.

Mollandra was too exhausted to stay up, so she followed the other first year girls up the spiral staircase that led to their dormitory. There she found that her possessions had already been brought up for her. She quickly changed into her pajamas and fell asleep almost instantly. 


End file.
